IUCN Conservation Centre

This state-of-the art complex sets a benchmark in sustainable construction. One of Europe's greenest office buildings aiming for both LEED and MINERGIE certification, it incorporates a series of innovative green building techniques while operating within tight cost constraints. Innovative features include use of rainwater for toilets and irrigation; heat recuperation from refrigerators to produce hot water; a CHF 1 million solar parc from Romande Energie Renouvelable that also provides energy back to the Swiss electricity grid; energy efficient lighting; local and recycled building materials; geothermal heating and a decentralized carbon dioxide controlled air supply system.

The Conservation Centre also hosts other conservation organizations: the Ramsar Convention, the MAVA Foundation and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The 2010 Swiss Solar Energy Prize has been awarded to the ground-breaking solar energy system created by Romande Energie and mounted on the recently inaugurated offices of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
… | French